Publisher's Synopsis
This volume explores the organizational principles of the ancient Indian sacrificial system, and the role Vedic religion plays in later orthodox Hinduism.;The author argues that Vedic conceptions of the cosmos, the nature of the human being, visions of the afterlife, and representations of ritual theory and practice can all be understood in similar terms. Illuminating such general issues as the definition of religion, the nature and purpose of ritual, the dynamics of sacrifice and substitution, and the process of change and continuity in traditions, this book serves as a guide to a complex ancient religion and its legacy.
